Episcopal Relief and Development is providing emergency assistance to families devastated by Hurricane Ivan in the southeastern United States. Hurricane Ivan made landfall in the Gulf Coast and directly hit Alabama and the Florida Panhandle, damaging tens of thousands of homes, businesses, and other structures in Mississippi, Tennessee, and Louisiana. The storm's remnants caused severe flooding from West Virginia and Pennsylvania to New Jersey.

ERD staff is contacting affected dioceses to offer assistance.

The storm has killed at least 50 people in the United States after devastating Grenada, the Cayman Islands, and other areas in the Caribbean. Nearly 70 were killed in the Caribbean as a result of Hurricane Ivan.

Hurricane Ivan was the third deadly hurricane to strike the United States and the Caribbean in less than five weeks.

Episcopal Relief and Development will provide critical assistance such as food, shelter, medicine, and water to the Dioceses of Mississippi and the Central Gulf Coast. ERD is in communication with other dioceses affected by the recent storms and stands ready to supply additional emergency funds.

Most recently, Tropical Storm Jeanne has ravaged parts of Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti. The storm has killed at least 250 people and injured 380 others along Haiti's north coast. Mark Spina, Director of ERD's Emergency Response Program, is in Haiti and working with diocesan staff to access the impact of the storm.

Episcopal Relief and Development will continue working with affected dioceses and will supply additional emergency assistance to the Dioceses of Southwest Florida, Central Florida, and Western North Carolina.

Please continue to pray for families suffering in the midst of these ongoing disasters.

To make a contribution for people affected by hurricanes in the United States and the Caribbean, donate to the 2004 Hurricane Relief Fund at www.er-d.org or call (800) 334-7626, ext. 5129. Gifts can be mailed to: Episcopal Relief and Development, c/o 2004 Hurricane Relief Fund, PO Box 12043, Newark, NJ 07101.

Episcopal Relief and Development saves lives and builds hope in communities around the world. We provide emergency assistance in times of disaster. When the immediate crisis is over, we rebuild devastated communities and offer long-term solutions in the areas of food security, health care, and HIV/AIDS.